Entrepreneurship Advice from the Smartest Women in the Biz

Smart Women Entrepreneurs and Their Lessons for Us All:

Panelists: 

Panelists:

Kelly Tyler – Kelly Tyler Training Services

Michele Markey – Kauffman FastTrac

Belinda Waggoner – hr-haven, inc.

Jill Meyer – Technology Development and Commercialization Specialist at UMKC

More women are starting businesses than men, but a lot of them are doing it as “just a hobby” and aren’t expanding their businesses at the same rate as their male counterparts.  This is just one of the many problems faced for women entrepreneurs today.  At iKC, the “Smart Women Entrepreneurs and Their Lessons for Us All” panel had a roomful of eager women (and a few men, too!) ready to soak up the knowledge of Kelly, Michele, Belinda and Jill.  The panelists mostly focused on the (generalized) differences between men and women entrepreneurs.

If there’s one thing any entrepreneur doesn’t need, it’s a yes (wo)man.

The panel was mainly concerned about women feeling more comfortable in their own circle of friends.  However, the practice of using friends on your advisory board (when there are more qualified people you could have chosen) is a dangerous idea.  Friends tend to say “Gee, that’s good” instead of offering constructive criticism. 

Making “someday” today.

Michele said, “Life is full of somedays. Make someday today.” Jill did just that and discussed the difficulties of dropping everything—the security of your job and its 401K in particular—to start a new business.   She had been working for ten years at the same job and was essentially running the company without the financial benefits of doing so.  She was single when she decided to leave her cushy corporate job, and so she had no additional source of income to “piggyback on.”  However, she did it because she “knew [she] could do a better job than what [she] saw in around [her].” After taking a leap of faith (along with lots of hard work), she became successful on her own and would have never changed a thing about her decision to do so.

Don’t forget the handshake!

One of the things Kelly noticed is that businessmen typically give a handshake upon meeting, and some women may feel that this is too formal.  So after she goes into the handshake, she’ll feel awkward, then she’ll think about the awkward situation instead of remembering her new acquaintances name!  So avoid this by going all in for a firm handshake—it’s what’s expected in the business world—and then focus on the more important things.

The advice given by the panel was useful for both men and women—much of what was discussed were common mistakes in the entrepreneurship world.  The greatest takeaway? Start brainstorming how to solve the world’s problems and then go do it…and make that “someday” today! 

iKC Recap: Inspire Talks—From Teens to the Health Scene

The first half of the “Inspire Talks” was a great way to kick off the morning of iKC 2012.  Formulated after the popular Internet sensation “TED Talks,” several speakers gave their own inspirational stories about business, their lives and their passions. 

The guy that started his own business four years before he could drive

First off was Brent Comstock, CEO of bCom Tech Solutions.  Brent is a bright 16-year-old who started his own tech company when he was just 12.   He shared the importance of being passionate about your small business and gave some advice for those in the audience who were looking to be entrepreneurs in the future: First, you have to find a need in a community, then you have to acquire the skills to fix that need.  Finally, you need to market that need to the public.  He learned several tech skills to help out the population of his small hometown, Auburn, Nebraska, and was an instant success.

Healthy employees = cheaper employees

The next speaker in the Inspire Talk series was Matt Condon from the Athletic Rehabilitation Center (ARC), who spoke about “Health and Wellness.”  He shared some scary stats about how as American becomes more obese, the percentage of the GDP spent on healthcare positively correlates as well.  Most of these financial burdens are taken on by the companies who provide healthcare to the employees.  His solution?  Get your employees fit and healthy (and not just so you can win the “Kansas City’s Sexiest Office” award)!  As small business owners, you can help save yourself money by encouraging your employees to get off the couch and go for a run; it’s even worth investing some of the company’s money in, too.

Just get up and exercise already, America!

Finally, Don Peterson of Big Iris spoke on “Big Data and The End of Wisdom.”  Although he said he would need hours to explain the concept of big data to the audience, he also had an interesting perspective on the healthcare industry.   He criticized doctors for not encouraging their patients to do the one thing that vastly reduces the presence of cardiovascular disease – getting up and exercising (maybe iKC panelist Micah LaCerte of Hitch Fit should’ve been speaking at Inspire Talks, too?).  He mentioned a study from the early 1930’s that showed people who had more active jobs drastically reduced their likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke later in life (it may be time to become a professional dogwalker!)  

The audience members left for their break feeling inspired to get up and work hard to solve the world’s problems (thanks, Brent!) and to later jog off that jumbo cookie that was in the iKC 2012 lunch box.

A Letter to iKC Attendees

Dear iKC attendees, 

In less than 24 hours, you will be igniting Kansas City’s entrepreneurial scene, innovating with like-minded individuals and inspiring others to learn and grow.  Are you ready for iKC 2012?  We sure are.  But before you get too excited, we want to remind you of a few key pieces to help you make this conference the Best. One. Ever.

DON’T FORGET:

Business cards, handouts and flyers (let's get networking!)

A notebook and pen (you'll learn a ton...so take notes.)

Eventbrite registration print-out (we gotta make sure you're legit.)

Lunch will be provided (but you can bring snacks if you want...especially if it's chocolate.)

PLAN YOUR DAY

There are tons of panels, presentations and speeches during iKC.  Which ones will you attend?  Download the iKC Agenda to plan your experience.

CHECK OUT OUR SPEAKERS

Be sure to check out our dynamite list of speakers, panelists and presenters at www.sparkinginnovation.org/speakers.  We're excited about them, and we think you will be, too!

PARKING

Complimentary parking is located on the north side of 13^th and Walnut in the surface parking garage (Annex parking.) Parking tickets from only this garage can be validated at check-in inside of the H&R Block building.

GET SOCIAL!

• Tweet with us:  @iKC_2012 and #iKC
• Check out intefy.com/iKC to check out all iKC Twitter traffic (thanks Fresh ID!) 
• Visit the iKC page on authorSTREAM for direct access to all iKC Powerpoint presentations

PBR AFTER PARTY

The agenda says 8:30am-4:40pm, but iKC doesn’t stop there! Join us for an iKC networking happy hour from 5:00-7:00pm at PBR Big Sky in the Power & Light District. Plus, after all that learning, we think you'll need a cocktail.  

We can't wait to see you at iKC on June 20th!  Make sure you find one of us and say "hello"! 

See you soon,

Think Big Partners

iKC is brought to you by presenting sponsor, Master Your Card Missouri.

iKC Unleashes List of Speakers and Inspire Talk Presenters

iKC is now announcing its list of 50+ speakers and Inspire Talk presenters who are lined up to speak at the innovation and entrepreneurship event in Kansas City on June 20, 2012.  The speakers range from many different areas of expertise—from entrepreneurship to marketing, innovation to profitability.  iKC will feature speakers and presenters from some of Kansas City’s most well-known companies like Boulevard Brewing Company, Hallmark, Sprint, The Roasterie and The Kauffman Foundation as well as some of the new up-and-comers like Inboun, Hitch Fit, FrontFlip and Bixy.

To view a full list of speakers and Inspire Talk presenters, check out the iKC Agenda page.   

A special thanks to presenting sponsor Master Your Card Missouri and other iKC sponsors including H&R Block, 7-Eleven, KC Business Magazine, R2Fact, Google, FreshID, authorSTREAM and Hovey Williams LLP.

Missing out on iKC on June 20th? We're sad, too. But we've got great news.  You can view all of the Powerpoint presentations on our authorSTREAM page.  Click here for direct access.

Special iKC Promo!  authorSTREAM is also excited to offer a complimentary Premium and Business Plan to all conference attendees at 30% off (take a look at them here).  Attendees or anyone related with the iKC event can use the Promo Code: PC7100513 for availing this offer on buying our Premium/ Business plans.  This offer will be available to the first 100 users claiming it, starting from today till July 17, 2012.

We look forward to seeing you (and all of our knockout speakers) on June 20^th!